Conventional keyboard instruments, such as pianos, organs, synthesizers, and the like, are difficult to master. In addition to basic musical talents, they require learned musical skills, and an exceptional amount of manual dexterity and coordination. Consequently, musicians typically master such instruments only after many years of hard work and practice. In particular, mastery of such instruments comes almost exclusively to those who take up the instrument and follow a rigorous practice schedule during their childhood years. The difficulty associated with mastering such instruments poses a chilling and intimidating effect on adults and those who have not yet mastered the instrument but nevertheless like to experience some degree of success in using such instruments to play popular music.
The difficulty in adapting keyboard instruments so that musical novices and amateurs may experience the joys associated with successfully playing their own music have been widely recognized. Hence, many modern electronic keyboards, organs, pianos, and synthesizers are complex, computer controlled machines. These machines automatically produce a wide variety of sounds, rhythms, and accompaniments so that pleasant sounding music may be more easily produced by a user. However, a user is still generally required to master the basic piano-style keyboard. Keyboard mastery requires the user to: 1) associate musical notes, chords, and the like with corresponding keyboard keys, 2) know precisely where each of the keys is located on the keyboard, and 3) press appropriate keys in real time.
Various alternate musical notation schemes have been devised to help a user master the basic piano-style keyboard. For example, colors, numbers, or alphabetical musical notes are occasionally printed on the keys. A musical notation system describing music to be played then employs the colors, numbers, and alphabetical musical notes that are printed on the keys. Such systems allow a user to use a familiar information carrying code (colors, numbers, alphabetic letters) rather than standard musical notation so that the user initially needs to learn fewer new concepts. While such schemes may help a user associate musical notes, chords, and the like with corresponding keys on a piano-style keyboard, they do nothing to help a user learn precisely where each key is located. Consequently, such schemes are largely unsuccessful in aiding a novice or amateur musician to successfully play music.
In an attempt to help a novice or amateur musician successfully play music on a keyboard instrument, various typewriter keyboard instruments have been devised. Such instruments attempt to exploit the existing knowledge that is shared by a vast number of persons concerning the precise location of each of the keys on a typewriter keyboard, such as is commonly used with typewriters and computers. In theory, this typewriter keyboard knowledge, when optionally coupled with an alternate musical notation scheme, should go a long way toward helping a novice or amateur musician to successfully play music.
However, conventional typewriter keyboard musical instruments fail in their efforts because they do not adapt the method of using a typewriter keyboard to the production of music. For example, the levels of typing skill vary considerably from accomplished touch-typists to those who use the single finger "hunt-and-peck" method. Thus, those conventional typewriter keyboard musical instruments that require its users to be accomplished touch-typists have little to offer lesser-skilled typists.
Additionally, typists typically press only one key at a time. Thus, conventional typewriter keyboard musical instruments that require a user to simultaneously hold down more than one key at a time, particularly with one hand, are awkward for a typist because they call upon the typist to operate the keyboard in opposition to the typist's habits and training.
Typists typically refrain from holding a key down for any longer than the minimal time needed for a typewriter or computer to recognize that the key has been pressed. In fact, on most electric typewriters and computers, continued pressing on a key automatically simulates repeated actuations of the key. Accordingly, conventional typewriter keyboard musical instruments that require a user to hold down a key for relatively long periods of time are again awkward for a typist to use because they call upon the typist to operate the keyboard in opposition to the typist's habits and training.
Furthermore, a typist typically activates keys located on the right side of a typewriter keyboard using only the right hand and activates keys located on the left side of the keyboard using only the left hand. Thus, the typewriter keyboard is divided into left and right sides to a typist. Conventional typewriter keyboard musical instruments that intermingle the key functions, such as chord keys and melody note keys, between left and right sides of the typewriter keyboard are also awkward for a typist to use because they call upon the typist to intermingle key functions between the typist's left and right hands.